It is common practice among travelers to carry more than one piece of luggage generally one large piece (referred to herein as “wheeled luggage”) and a smaller auxiliary piece of luggage (referred to herein as an “auxiliary item” or “bag”). This invention could also be used to connect together any two items if one has a pull-handle and wheels. This auxiliary item could be, for example, a cosmetic bag, overnight bag, messenger bag or brief case. Generally the traveler places this auxiliary item on the wheeled luggage case by seating it on top of the case and sometimes strapping it to the extended handle. With this arrangement, especially with a single tube handle, rapid movement and turning of the wheeled luggage case can cause the auxiliary item to slide or twist away from its desired position on the wheeled luggage. It is cumbersome and time consuming to fasten and undo the strap attached to the handle. Further, the bag is not securely attached and can be easily stolen by a passerby.
Devices allowing two pieces of luggage to be attached to one another have been around for decades however none solve the problems with the auxiliary item sliding or twisting away from its desired position or being cumbersome and time consuming to attach and detach. With current devices which attach the auxiliary item to the pull-handle or a telescoping handle of the wheeled luggage, rapid movements and quick turns of the traveler cause the auxiliary item to slide off the top of the wheeled luggage. In this description the wheeled luggage has a pull-handle, this pull-handle can either have a single tube arrangement or multiple tubes, a multi-tube pull-handle will be referred to as a telescoping handle. The instant invention can function with either a single tube pull-handle or a multi-tube telescoping handle.
Inventions that modify auxiliary bags to solve the problem of sliding generally include a strap or pocket on the back side of the auxiliary bag. This strap is placed over the telescoping pull-handle of a wheeled luggage case in order to secure the auxiliary bag on top of the luggage. The problem with these systems is that the auxiliary bag can be very difficult to place over the telescoping pull-handle and the user generally has to use two hands with this operation. Auxiliary bags with straps also tend to slide off of the center of the wheeled luggage bag or other item creating both inconvenience and loss of time for the traveler. Even this method does not solve the problem of potential theft.
Other inventions such as support bars fixed on the telescoping luggage handle or the wheeled luggage case itself attempt to solve the problem of preventing the auxiliary bag from twisting during travel. These inventions also do not provide significant added value to the user as they often require the user to activate additional parts on the telescoping pull-handle or wheeled luggage case apart from the telescoping pull-handle (such as supporting arms). These systems require more time from the user to set the auxiliary bag properly on the wheeled luggage case. Besides the loss of time in activating the supporting structures, additional supports often become intangled with the auxiliary bag's support strap or carrying straps, adding to the user's inconvenience.
There is, thus, a need for a magnetic locking device system and method to allow users to easily attach and detach auxiliary items to a pull-handle and item with wheels. This invention will prevent auxiliary items from twisting or falling off of the wheeled item when locked into place, is very user friendly, and assists in preventing theft of the auxiliary bag.